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Ducati 959 Panigale Corse coming

Special edition Ducati Panigale 959 with trick parts expected next year

Once again those pesky folks at the California Air Resources Board have published information online that has let slip there’s a new Ducati on the way. A few weeks ago they told us there was a new Ducati Multistrada 1260 coming (using the XDiavel engine) and this time they’ve told us about a new special edition 959: the Panigale Corse – but what exactly is it?

Well the figures on the document say that the Corse produces the exact same emissions as the standard 959, and they appear on the same document, so the Corse will share the same engine and chassis as the standard 959. With that in mind, we’re expecting Ducati to follow in the footsteps of the 848. Ducati first released the 848 Corse in 2012, which gained traction control and a quickshifter, then they released the Corse SE in 2013, which had a lightweight aluminium tank, Ohlins rear shock and a fancy tricolore paintjob.

If the 959 Corse does follow in that path then it’s possible it will get the Bosch IMU system from the 1299, which could bring along engine braking control and wheelie control as well as the EVO traction control – it’s possible there may be an upgrade to the 9.1 ABS also.

The 959 currently has Showa forks with a Sachs monoshock, which is almost certainly going to be replaced with a Ohlins unit. The 848 Corse SE stuck with the standard forks, so it’s likely the Showas will remain.

The revealing of the 959 Corse as a 2018 model also signals an end to this middleweight twin model. The current 959 is Euro 4, so Ducati can keep selling it until 2020 but with the arrival of the V4 imminent, we expect Ducati to phase out the 959 in 2019.

Honda’s RC213V-S really is a MotoGP bike with lights and as close to the real thing as is practical. It’s clearly a rich man’s toy but it’s absolutely wonderful that it exists. It shows Honda really does have a heart.